Recommended music for marathons: uplifting songs that give you the courage to power through
Do you listen to music when you run marathons or go jogging?
In fact, listening to music while running comes with big benefits!
The biggest advantage is that matching your stride to the tempo can act like a pacemaker and help you keep a steady pace.
Plus, listening to your favorite tracks or motivational songs can boost your morale, helping some people make it all the way to the finish.
In this article, we’ll introduce songs with comfortable running tempos and uplifting anthems that boost motivation!
You’re sure to get that extra push to hang in there a little longer.
Just be sure to stay aware of your surroundings—and bring these tunes along as your companions for marathons and jogs!
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Recommended music for marathons: motivational songs that give you the courage to run through (51–60)
It starts here!DREAMS COME TRUE
Brimming with dynamic rhythm and a powerful melody, this track serves as a heartwarming anthem that, while a theme song for an ekiden relay race, also celebrates life’s challenges, hard work, and those taking a bold new step forward.
DREAMS COME TRUE fuse ’80s disco sounds with Latin grooves into a lively arrangement that gently pushes listeners onward.
The song was released digitally ahead of time in January 2025 and was later included as a single in March of the same year as the theme song for the “ACN EXPO EKIDEN 2025 Commemorating the Osaka-Kansai Expo.” It’s a buoyant tune that, when played during practice for school sports days or athletic festivals, naturally sparks a sense of camaraderie with teammates and a renewed determination to reach your goals.
RainbowPorunogurafiti
This song was written for the Emperor’s Cup National Inter-Prefectural Men’s Ekiden Championship and is used as the tournament’s theme song.
Its passionate vocals and lively rhythm, when heard while running, inspire you to push through and keep going until the very end.
Over DriveJUDY AND MARY
This is JUDY AND MARY’s seventh single, released in 1995.
It was used in a car commercial, and the song has a fresh image, like racing straight down the road.
It’s also striking how, the moment the chorus kicks in, it feels as if the view suddenly opens up.
The song’s sense of swiftly cutting through and its sound—light yet strong and forward-driving—make it a perfect BGM for running.
Adolescent RhapsodySambomasutā
One of Sambomaster’s signature songs, it was used as the opening theme for the popular anime NARUTO.
Its up-tempo melody and powerful, masculine vocals instantly raise your spirits and give you the strength to push through to the end.
Recommended music for marathons: Motivational songs that give you the courage to run through (61–70)
Give it some guts!!Urufuruzu
The perfect song to listen to at the toughest point in a marathon! Released in 1995, this was Ulfuls’ breakthrough smash hit.
With its uniquely original style that fuses rock with a dance beat, it captured the hearts of many and is still said to be the most exciting song at their live shows.
“There’s no point in whining! Show some grit!” With that kind of tough-love encouragement, you can’t afford to stop, right? If you always end up giving up just shy of your target time, try training with this track on.
Progresskōkua
This is the song that led to the formation of the band kōkua, with Shikao Suga as the vocalist.
It’s also well known as the theme song for “Professional: Shigoto no Ryuugi.” It’s said that, in line with the program’s concept, music professionals—musicians who are also producers—were brought together.
If listening to this song brings back the program’s atmosphere, it may help you remember your goal and give you the push to take that first step.
Rather than matching the tempo, I think the key when using it for a marathon is to savor its worldview.
PlayPerfume
It’s a grand dance tune that can serve as a guiding light for your journey through life.
The track is by Perfume, a dance-vocal group highly popular overseas, and it was released as a digital single in November 2019.
Chosen as the theme song for the film “Murder at Shijinsou,” it generated a lot of buzz.
From beneath its near-futuristic sound arrangement, you can feel a kind of heat infused into the music.
The themes are a strong attachment to life and the importance of the human heart.
Let’s ride this song and run all the way through!